Diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin (type 1 diabetes) or from insulin resistance in which the body fails to properly use insulin (type 2 diabetes). Diabetes is a major health concern Worldwide. According to the National Institute of Health, diabetes affects 25.8 million people of all ages, or 8.3%, of the U.S. population. This represents approximately 18.8 million diagnosed people and seven million undiagnosed people. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
To effectively manage and/or control the disease, diabetics must closely monitor and manage their blood glucose levels through exercise, diet and medications in addition to supplying their body with appropriate amounts of insulin based on daily routines. As a result, glucose monitoring systems have become well known in the medical arts. (Other conditions besides diabetes also require monitoring through blood, saliva and urine. Non-limiting examples include low or high hormone levels and hypercholesterolemia.)
Over the years many monitoring systems have been introduced. With these systems, a diabetic typically pricks his or her finger using a lancet. A droplet of exposed blood is applied to a sensor on a test strip which is placed in a glucose monitoring device. A reading appears on a display of the device indicating the blood glucose level of the diabetic.
More recently, advances in technology have led to more sophisticated monitoring. For example, continuous glucose monitoring systems have been developed utilizing sensor technologies incorporating both implantable and external sensors. Other systems deliver the preciseness of finger stick measurements coupled with the convenience of not having to repeatedly prick the skin to obtain glucose measurements.
With the advent of smartphone technology, advances that enable diabetics to record and store monitoring information are now available. More recently, smartphone technology has enabled the user to send recorded information to a remote site, such as a physician. These devices work by plugging a monitoring device into a receptacle on the smartphone and through a software application receive information from the monitor to the smartphone. A drawback to this technology is that the monitor cannot be used with a smartphone in a protective case as the monitor cannot be attached to the phone with the case in place. To use the device, the user must either not use a smartphone protective cover or must remove the protective cover in order to use the monitor. Additionally, if the user desires to leave the monitor attached to the phone, no cover can be used, which thereby exposes both the phone and the monitor to a risk of damage. Moreover, some of these devices force a user to rely on the power of the phone to function. This causes unnecessary battery use which depletes the power for phone use and, importantly, the monitor, which, in turn, can cause a dangerous situation if blood levels cannot be tested at critical times.
Additionally, with other devices a user must carry lancets, a “poking” device, and testing strips separately from the device itself. Thus the overall effect is a bulky package. Moreover, once testing is complete, the user is left with biohazard material debris in the form of a used lancet and test strip.
There is need, therefore, for a glucose monitoring system for use with smartphones in which the apparatus provides a protective covering for both the phone and the monitor and wherein the monitor is powered separately from the phone. Further, there is need for a device that also contains lancets and test strips within the apparatus and there is a receptacle for medical waste. The present invention provides such a device in a convenient to use, hand held protective cover.